What are the hazards of hydrogen gas? Hydrogen gas (CAS# 1333-74-0) is not toxic to breathe, although it can function as an asphyxiant if it displaces enough breathable air. Hydrogen gas has a low LEL and a broad flammability range, so the flammability/explosivity...
I've worked with corrosives before. What makes HF and other fluorides special? The chemicals below, and related soluble fluoride salts, release fluoride ions (F-): ammonium fluoride (CAS# 12125-01-8) ammonium bifluoride (CAS# 1341-49-7) hydrofluoric acid (CAS#...
DMSO is the classic polar aprotic solvent. It's used in lots of known reactions. Why should I worry? DMSO decomposes with heating, and the decomposition products catalyze further decomposition, resulting in a runaway reaction that has caused explosions resulting in...
What is a stench chemical? Stench chemicals have an extremely foul smell that is detectable by the human nose in parts-per-billion amounts, depending on the compound. While the stench may not be known to have toxic effects, it can still negatively impact laboratory...
Chloroform is a common solvent, starting with NMR samples in sophomore-level chemistry. Why should I worry? Chloroform, dichloromethane, and many other halogenated organic compounds readily pass through nitrile gloves. This means that the disposable gloves most people...
